The sciatic nerve is one of the largest nerves in the body. It goes from the lower back all the way down to the base of the leg. When there is a disorder associated with the sciatic nerve, it is known as Sciatica. 

Sciatica, however, does not necessarily need a surgery or a very elaborate procedure to fix the problem. Most commonly, it is treated simply by practicing a number of simple exercises. Here are some of the most common exercises prescribed to treat Sciatica:

1. Reclining Pigeon Pose:
There are three main forms of the pigeon pose. These are sitting, reclining and then forwarding. It is recommended that if you have very recently started your treatment for Sciatica, then certainly you should go for the reclining pose. In this pose, you are supposed to hold your left leg in the air at a right angle to your back. Then, hold your ankle against the knee. Finally, repeat this stretch with the right leg as well.

2. Knee to Opposite Shoulder:
In this stretch, the starting position is on your back side. You have to have your legs out and feet upwards. From this position, try to bring your right leg towards your left shoulder. Hold this for 30 seconds and then release and relax. Repeat this activity three times and repeat the whole procedure with your other leg. Only take your leg as far as it goes.

3. Sitting Spinal Stretch:
At the start of this exercise, sit on the ground with your legs going straight outwards and your feet flexed in the upward direction. Pull your left knee and put it on the outside of your right knee. Finally, place your right elbow on the left knee, so that your body turns to the left. Hold for 30 seconds and then relax. Repeat the procedure with the other knee.

4. Standing Hamstring Stretch:
Put your foot on an elevated surface such that it is above the floor, but not above hip level. Flex your toes forward such that your feet and legs are nearly in a straight line. Bend as far towards the foot as possible. However, do not stretch so far that you feel pain. Finally, repeat this procedure on the other side after release.

Exercises For Sciatica

A broken nose is any crack or fracture in the bony portion of the nose. This is usually a result of external trauma.


Nasal fractures are often cited as the most common type of facial fracture, accounting for approximately half of all facial fractures in several studies.


Broken Nose Causes:


Common sources of trauma include the following:


Sports injuries
Personal fights
Motor vehicle accidents
Falls
In children, nasal fractures are most commonly due to falls.




Broken Nose Symptoms:


Tenderness when touching the nose
Swelling of the nose or face
Bruised nose
Bruising under the eyes (black eye)
Deformity of the nose (crooked nose)
Nosebleed
Pain and difficulty breathing out of the nostrils 


Broken Nose - 7 Signs You are Suffering from it

A sprained thumb is a painful condition caused due to an injury on the ligament of a thumb. A ligament is a soft tissue, which connects bones to each other at a joint. The ligament might get partially or fully torn due to extreme backward bending of thumb causing the ligament connecting the thumb and index finger to suffer injury.

The problem is quite common among basketball, rugby and football players. For this reason, it is known as a sports injury. Skiing may also cause extreme pressure to the thumb, causing a ligament tear. Injury due to skiing is called skier s thumb.

The injury causes pain, bruising and tenderness. It can cause swelling on just the thumb or sometimes on the entire hand. In severe cases, weakness and instability in the region can be seen. A sprained thumb weakens the ability to pinch and grasp things. The patient will have trouble holding a glass, turning a knob or writing. An untreated injury may lead to joint stiffness, muscle weakness, scar tissue formation, instability of the thumb or even arthritis. It is strongly advised to visit a professional therapist for an early diagnosis and treatment.

Usually, an X-ray leads to an apt diagnosis of the injury. The doctor also ascertains damage to the bone and ligament and develops a treatment plan. Some ligament tears can be treated using a splint or cast. A chronic ligament tear might not heal and would require surgical intervention.

A partial or mild ligament tear can be managed through useful home remedies like putting an ice pack, bandage or splint. It is also advised to keep the thumb elevated and restrict its movement. A heat pack is beneficial as it can ease pain and relax the muscles. However, heat pack must be avoided during the first 48 hours of injury as it can lead to bleeding.

If there is a chronic injury and the ligament is completely torn, a surgery is needed. A surgery helps join a new ligament to the bone in case the torn ligament fails to heal. It also helps reconnect the injured ligament to the bone. Sometimes, there might be bone damage as bone fragments might get pulled away with the ligament. In such cases, bone fragments need to be put back in their position through surgery. After the surgery, a cast or splint is put till it heals completely.

An early visit to a physiotherapist has potential advantages. A therapist can fasten the healing process, help relieve pain and improve a person s ability to resume daily tasks. Massages and strengthening exercises are initiated to avoid re-injury and instill strength in the injured region. Physiotherapy also helps immensely after surgery through planned mobility exercises that regain movement and strength.  

Sprained Thumb- Causes and Treatment

Knee is a hinge joint where the lower leg bone tibia meets the thigh bone femur. During osteoarthritis, cartilage or ligament defects and degenerative arthritis, knee replacement surgery is recommended world-wide to get relief from extreme pain. Knee replacement surgery, also known as knee arthroscopy, is a surgical procedure, in which the affected knee joint is replaced with synthetic material. The most likely candidates for total knee replacement are the patients with severe destruction of the knee joint coupled with progressive pain and impaired function.

Modern technological advances have made computer assisted knee replacement surgery extremely popular around the globe. In this surgery, the surgeon is assisted by a computer to remove the optimum amount and angle of the bone, which otherwise is done by inspecting manually. This is an excellent example of surgery through small incision and it eliminates the chances of human error. A perfect alignment and balance is achieved and hence longevity is also increased to 20 - 30 years. Knee replacement surgery is also specific to gender as the anatomy of male and female patients is different.

There are many types of knee replacements, most common being the total knee replacement or Total Knee Arthroplasty. In addition, there is partial knee replacement, bilateral knee replacement, revision knee replacement and knee arthroscopy.

In knee replacement surgery, the worn out surfaces of joints of knee are replaced with artificial implant of plastic and metal. The lower end of the femur bone is removed and replaced with a metal shell. The upper end of the lower leg bone (tibia) is also removed and replaced with a channelled plastic implant with a metal stem. A plastic ball is also added under the kneecap depending on its condition. These artificial components are commonly referred as prosthesis. The design of these highly flexible implants replicate knee, with the rotating knee replacement implants assist in backward and forward swing of the legs.

Patients whose knee joints have been damaged by either trauma or progressive arthritis should consider total knee replacement surgery. Post-surgical hospital stay after knee joint replacement is usually three to five days. The surgery has a very high success rate and shows dramatic improvement after a month. This improvement is most notable one month or more after surgery. The pain caused by the damaged joint is reduced significantly when the new gliding surface is constructed during surgery. Initially, patient will walk with the help of a walking aid until the knee is able to support full body weight. After six weeks, patient can walk comfortably with minimal assistance. Patients with artificial joints are prescribed to take antibiotics during the course of any elective invasive procedures including dental work. Physiotherapy is an essential part of rehabilitation and it will increase the muscle strength and patient can enjoy most activities, except running and jumping.

Knee Replacement

Sciatica is a neurological condition that mainly arises due to problems in the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is believed to be the largest nerve originating from the spinal nerves L4 to S3. It extends downward from the lower spine into the back of each leg (thighs) right down to the foot. The sciatic nerve acts as a connecting link between the spinal cord and the foot and the leg muscles. People with sciatica often experience a tingling sensation along with a shooting pain radiates downwards from the lower back (mostly the lumbar region) to the back of one of the legs. Some may also experience the sciatic pain down both the legs (rare).

Types of Sciatic Pain:

Sciatica that affects a person can be of two types depending on the severity of the associated symptoms

Acute sciatic pain: In this case, a person experiences a sudden radiating pain which often heals by itself within a week or two. More than often, the pain is triggered by an injury to the spinal joints, nerves, or the disc.
Chronic sciatic pain: This is a more serious condition where the pain may linger for long, often more than three months. The chronic sciatic pain may affect a person with severe Arthritis and nerve injury and damage.
Symptoms associated with Sciatica:

One of the characteristic symptoms of Sciatica is a shooting pain that radiates from the lower back (often the lumbar) to the back of one (or both) of the legs.
In some, the sciatic pain may result in weakness and a tingling sensation down the affected leg.
A person with sciatica may find it difficult to move his/her foot and legs (restricts their movement).
Some people may experience a shooting pain even while they are in a sitting position. In some others, the pain may be at its worst when a person is in a standing position.
Sciatica can also trigger a hip pain.
What triggers sciatica and the associated symptoms?

The disc is a protective shield that prevents any damage or injury to the vertebrae. A degenerative disc problem can interfere with the normal functioning of the disc triggering sciatica.
Spondylolisthesis: In Spondylolisthesis, also known as a Slip Disc, a bone (mostly in the lumbar region) slips over the bone which is located just below it. People with prolonged and untreated spondylolisthesis are often known to suffer from sciatica.
The sciatic pain can also affect a woman during her pregnancy.
Lumbar spinal stenosis: This condition is is characterized by the spinal canal narrowing down in the lumbar region. Lumbar spinal stenosis exerts pressure on the sciatic nerve, giving rise to sciatica.
A muscular strain or spasm in the buttocks can also be a contributing factor.
Proper management and prevention for sciatica are possible. One should be alert and consult a doctor in case they experience the associated symptoms or any discomfort.

Sciatica Pain - What Can Trigger It?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful one that is born from a strain on the median nerve, which loops through the wrist bone to connect it with the rest of the hand and fingers so as to promote motion. This condition can be a painful and debilitating one that usually starts at night, and affects the various fingers, especially the thumb and index finger. The symptoms include numbness, a tingling sensation, a weak grip, and the inability to do many tasks that involve the thumb and index finger. There are many ways of treating this condition with the help of physiotherapy, steroids and corticosteroids. There are easier ways of dealing with this issue on an everyday basis, as follows.

1. Wrist splint: it is a good idea to wear a wrist splint at night which will keep the bones and muscles stationary as the pain in this condition usually starts at night. This will also prevent further damage to the median nerve. 

2. Activity: keep your activity to a minimum to give your hand and rest, in particular, some much needed rest from the pain, numbness and tingling. Further, you need to avoid activities that cause too much pain and numbness. Also, take care to keep your thumb and wrist straight during other activities so that there is less strain on the median nerve.

3. Strength and flexibility: many times, the pain from the wrist and fingers can spread towards the arm as well. In order to prevent this and to treat the pain on a more long term basis, it is important to turn to some mild exercise which can make the area more flexible and strong. This can include wrist twists which can be done ten times for each hand. One can also try yoga to strengthen the joints in the upper body.

4. Ice pack: use an ice pack or ice compress on your wrist for ten to fifteen minutes each every few hours to help in relieving unbearable pain.

5. Anti-inflammatory medication: patients suffering from this condition can also turn to non steroid medication that will help in bringing down the inflammation. This inflammation is usually responsible to a great extent for symptoms like numbness and pain which can halt various activities. These drugs may include aspirin, ibuprofen, and even naproxen sodium. 

6. Taking breaks: one must take regular breaks at work and flex the fingers and the wrist so that the painful bending posture does not make matters worse.
 
Ensuring that you manage your everyday functioning despite carpal tunnel syndrome is a matter of balancing your activities with rest.

Easy Ways to Deal With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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